KIRKUS REVIEW

This conceptual
exploration of friendship sees both the good and the bad.

Nehamas (Humanities/Princeton Univ.; Only a Promise of
Happiness: The Place of Beauty in a World of Art, 2007, etc.) explains
that his study had its genesis in a graduate seminar he taught and a series of
lectures he gave, which suggests why pedagogy, arts criticism, and philosophy
overshadow anyone’s personal experience in the development of his
argument. The author keeps returning to two illustrative relationships of
his: one with a close friend who changed a tire for him and one with his
barber. Yet closest scrutiny is reserved for analyses of novels, plays, and
movies (Thelma and Louise, in particular), in which
whatever they have to say about friendship may or may not be a reflection of
any real relationships. “Friendship, I will argue, has a double face,” writes
the author early on. Though he does later show how friendship can lead to
favoritism or even immoral acts (Thelma and Louise, again),
as one favors the friend rather than the ideal, some of his examples are more
political friendships of convenience than bonds of true
friendship. Perhaps the most compelling argument he makes is that having
such a close relationship with a few undermines the ideal of Christian love and
charity for all, equally. Otherwise, most of the downsides of friendship, the
“complexities and ambiguities” on which Nehamas says he focuses during the
book’s second half, have more to do with loss when the friendship ends—“the
dull aches of abandonment, the sharp stabs of betrayal, the agonizing dilemmas
of loyalty.” The author illustrates most of these with friendships as portrayed
through the various arts.

For those wanting to see
how the concept of friendship in Western civilization has evolved since
Aristotle, this study offers a useful, if idiosyncratic survey.

Be the first to discover new talent!
Each week, our editors select the one author and one book they believe to be most worthy of your attention and highlight them in our Pro Connect email alert.
Sign up here to receive your FREE alerts.